


Love Stranding?

by Gepeng23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Healing, Gen, Healing, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2020-04-23 08:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19146970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gepeng23/pseuds/Gepeng23
Summary: Taking place after KOTET, Vaylin secretly survived the final battle with Valkorion vanquished. However, to maintain secrecy Vaylin had to flee somewhere unknown with the unwanted help of the Outlander. Tragedy struck the ship they were riding, forcing them to the escape pod and stranding them on an unknown planet resembling Lehon / Rakata Prime.





	1. Flower Crowns

**Author's Note:**

> The Outlander and The Alliance Commander are twins. Outlander is a Male Barsen'thor, Commander is a Male Wrath.

 

**( Artwork by me )**

* * *

After a week spent in the isolated planet, staying for a few more days might not seem such a bad idea. For every wilted flower crowns, he’d make her a new one. Although the first few lay  _charred_ by her lightning.

Holding it in her heart is not who she is. She had wanted him since they first met in the Throne Room. 

And what were those flower crowns for if he wasn’t courting her? He did it only because it’s who he is, gentle and kind, perhaps  _too_ kind sometimes. Those traits however, kept her alive and well–he went hunting, cooking, washing, made camp, and tried his best to seek help. But more importantly,  _surviving_ her wrath.

Getting lost is maybe what she needed after all.

....

She suddenly turned around, surprising him with a kiss. His brain stopped for a few seconds. He was sure she was going to hurt him again, or snap at him, or leave like she always did. He failed to respond to the kiss, earning a shove.

“Wh-what was that??” Disappointed at how clueless he is, she started stepping away, crankily. His face was flushed, like the flowers on her head.

“Nothing. Just wanted to feel what it’s like kissing a Jedi.”

“Oh…”

There was a hint of disappointment in his tone as well. His heartbeat and breathing raced, but with a hand on the chest and the Jedi Code, he was calm again. But oh, how he nibbled his own lips, savoring the taste of her smooth and soft lips just then!

Is it wrong for him to want another kiss? For something more?

 


	2. Precious Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaylin was beginning to adjust being stranded in the unknown planet while being sustained by the Outlander. She thinked hard on her actions and decided to go against her defensive wall to apologize...

                                                        

**( Artwork by me )**

* * *

 

## “I’m sorry.”

## “For what?”

That innocent look. The calm and collected posture. Aura of serenity. She loathed everything about him. Of how beautiful he is. Isn’t there anything that can break through his shield of willpower? If only he knew that she has never, ever uttered that word beginning with an ‘S’ to anyone. How riveting and cruel apologizing is to her.

“For… for the…”

He raised his brows. In truth, this is one of the happiest moments in his life. Watching someone like Vaylin capable of  _humbling_ herself. It’s a major step forward towards her recovery, and his goal.

“… I can’t do it!”

“Vaylin?”

“JUST LEAVE!”

The sudden outburst was rather disappointing. He knew too well that the wisest course of action is to flee before her rage can manifest. Nevertheless, he had too much patience to think of this as a reversion of his efforts.

But onto more important matter. Food!

* * *

The beach had pristine sea and picturesque view, as if he was in a tourism commercial. Some endeavor was put into searching for civilization, but bore no fruit. They can’t stay here forever despite the planet offering a place away from all the chaos.

He stripped down his robe, hanging them on a tree branch. There wasn’t a vast menu of edible, non-poisonous seafood in the water. He grabbed some clams and fortunately, some commonly eaten fishes. Pleased with his harvest, he took the seafood in a bag made from a big, folded, bowl-shaped leaf out of the water.

But as he turned around, he was frozen in place by the sight of an approaching Vaylin.

“Rio… you look…  _different_.”

He was speechless. His hair was undone, barely clothed, and completely wet. The fishes jumped out of the bag and quickly swam away, while the Empress took a few cautious steps towards the Jedi. None of them spoke for a few seconds until she broke the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry for the kiss.”

“What?”

“It’s probably unwanted. I didn’t ask for your permission first. I thought…”

He waited for her to continue, and sensed the struggle for her to form the words. But before he could speak;

“Do you forgive me or not?!”

Her chest was thumping with anticipation. She’s finding it harder to resist temptation now. At the same time, she’s also anxious if this would turn out to be one of his Jedi speech. Which will be upsetting.

“Vaylin… I forgive you.”

Immediately she raised her head to lock eyes with him. That ‘killer’ smile of his made her become increasingly agitated, shown by the intense frowning. Words could only form in her head, failing to escape her mouth.

“I’ll… go find more food.”

“Whatever.”

She felt like a fool. It’s almost as if her common sense turned off. All she wanted was his affection, not a therapy session. She wanted him to want her. But she already made her move. It’s his turn now.

The futility of it enraged her. A large shockwave split the ankle-deep water, which later splashed all over her once the Force holding it vanished. She was even more angered than before–her robe was completely soaked!


	3. Coconuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner meal consisting of coconuts was apparently not enough to keep temper from flaring.

                                                             

( Artwork by me )

* * *

 

 

He sat by the fire of his makeshift camp. In front of him were four coconuts, enough for dinner that night. He began cutting the coconuts with his lightsaber, carefully yet cluelessly. He recalled how the natives of Rishi did it, though not clearly.

But then he sensed it, from light-years away. His twin seeking for him. He reached out, but his brother couldn’t hear him. He tried again and again to no avail.

Vaylin wandered off the beach, somehow getting her clothes wet again. The night got cold in a matter of minutes–she needed a source of warmth but the thought of gathering the wood to make a campfire grated her. To Rio’s camp then, and if he tries to talk her ear off with yet another Jedi rubbish, she’ll simply leave.

The fact that he hasn’t made her any flower crowns for today piqued her curiosity.

He sensed her approaching. His composure returned within seconds. “Hello, Vaylin.”

She responded with laying on her side facing away from him, occupying his makeshift bed. All she needed was the warmth from the fire. As she closed her eyes, she could have easily burned a tree down to create fire–and the thought flashed at a lousy timing. To hell with that, she grumbled inside. It might spread to the rest of the forest and that won’t be good.

Her stomach croaked at an audible volume for him to hear. He tried his hardest not to appear amused for the sake of not inciting her wrath.

“Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“Want some of these? They’re very good.”

She shifts a little, taking a full minute before getting up and accepting his offer. “By the way, the flesh can be eaten.”

She glared at him. “Thanks for the  _crucial_ bit of knowledge.”

“You’re welcome!”

The fact that he failed to understand the sarcasm agitated her. “You’re so stupid for a Jedi.”

Those words stung him a little. His smile faded, and they continued eating in silence. In her head, she wondered if she’d see any flower crowns for today. After those words she just uttered however, she doubted it.

Her eyes darted to him when they finished eating, and she caught him staring at her as well. There were no words and movement, not even feelings behind their muted expression. It lasted longer than they felt it should. As if the process of telepathically gathering information have finished, he lowered his gaze and broke the silence.

“You know you’re powerful enough to do anything you want. What if you just… don’t? Isn’t that more powerful, winning over your power, completely in control?”

“I  _am_ in control of  _my_ power and I chose to do it  _my_ way.”

This is just another one of his bogus teachings, she thought. Not again! Did he expect to easily change years worth of suffering by mere words? Anger started to build inside her.

“I guess… I also chose that, to use my power only for healing when some of them wanted me to conquer the galaxy with it. I just wish you’d consider my words.”

**“Enough!”**

A blast from her core struck him away, strong enough to snap his consciousness. Rage brought her ignited lightsaber to finish him off, but she stopped at the last second. By this time it felt like she always cancelled driving her lightsaber through him and it upset her even more.

She kicked his legs to wake him up. When the response was none, she cursed at him for being a new burden. If he’s dead, that means she’d truly be alone in this unknown, deceiving paradise. It didn’t take long for dread to set in.

“Damn it!”

She checked his pulse and breathing to be met with relief. With the Force, she lifted him up gently and laid him on the makeshift bed. At this point, she’s unsure of what should be the next step. Force healing was something she was never taught, she only knew how to inflict pain… and to destroy. Maybe the old-fashioned way will do?

She began shaking him almost comically. No dice. What about those mouth to mouth resuscitation? Without thinking much, she performed it on him desperately before realising that he was  _still_ breathing. A blush crept on her face while cursing her irrationality. What next?

The blast did cause some rips to his outfit. After checking his wounds, she couldn’t find any that’s life threatening. Vaylin slowly stood up and folded her arms.

“Is it ironic that I wished Father was still in you? So you wouldn’t be as weak and pathetic right now. Get up already!”

It’s no use venting her rage at him. By the winds and temperature, she could tell how late it was. With a sigh, she laid down next to him, tentatively clinging to his arm. Perhaps he’d wake up tomorrow. Being completely alone in this unknown planet could be as harrowing as her past years had been…

And she made a promise to both him and herself to appreciate his company next time, no matter how annoying it could be. Or perhaps see another flower crown. Who knows?


	4. Passage Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help finally arrived, and Riornivo convinces Vaylin to escape the planet without him.

                                                       

( Artwork by me )

* * *

 

The sound of birds woke her up from her slumber. The first thing she noticed was the absence of the Jedi she struck down yesterday. Her eyes widened--that means he’s awake now! She scooted out of the tent and looked around to see if he’s there. “Rio…”

She expanded her search around the camp when she heard the rustling of leaves by footsteps. Her heart leaped when she saw the person she was looking for, but she maintained a facade of displeasure. That ‘killer smile’ of his made it difficult for her walls to stay up, though. She glanced over his torn outfit to see that his wounds have healed. It must have been nice to be proficient at Force healing, she thought. She’s almost tempted to learn how to do it, but his voice snapped her mind back to the present.

“Vaylin, I have good news!”

She narrowed her eyes. He was acting as if nothing has happened last night. “Your people came looking for you. You’re going back home!”

Home…

Somehow that word wasn’t as exciting as expected. Maybe if it was news a week ago she would have jumped straight away on a transport off the planet. But how did her people find her so far out here? What about her secrecy?

“Let’s go, before they leave. They didn’t know I saw them.”

“Wait… if I go back home that means everyone will know that I’m alive. We didn't travel far out here to go back to square one!”

He paused. That factor actually slipped from his mind due to the relief he felt when help arrived. Instantly he thought that he’s being a little too emotional for a Jedi. But a bigger question popped in both their minds. How? Perhaps some of her loyal Horizon Guards believed her to be alive, and they were about to be proven right after all.

His priority was to get her to safety and comfort, so he quickly came up with a solution.

“How about this… tell them to keep your whereabouts secret. I know this is not foolproof, but at least you can get off this planet and stay somewhere safe and secure.”

She was conflicted. There were several reactions overlapping with each other. She took a deep breath and assessed them one by one. First, the secrecy. It would be hard to maintain; it's as if she’d be living in fear and isolation again. And then there’s the ever growing desire to live alone with him, despite how hard she denied it. Being stranded here was a version of that… and it’s about to end. But before she could think further;

“Please… this might be the only chance.”

Reluctantly, she took the first step. They didn’t have to walk far before spotting two Guards scanning the area. In a whispering tone, Rio instructed her; “Go to them. I think they’ll shoot me on sight, so... this is it,” as he looked at her with a gentle smile--an informal goodbye.

“Guess there’s nothing here. Let’s head back to--wait, did you sense that??” asked one of the Guard to the other.

“Uhh… look b-behind you?”

The female Guard turned around and jumped as Vaylin approached them. Both quickly knelt before her. “Empress Vaylin! You’re alive!”

As the male Guard activated his holocom to inform the others, Vaylin swiftly pulled it into her hand with the Force, startling him. The Guard Captain on the line was equally as shocked by seeing her.

“Listen. Do NOT tell anyone on Zakuul about my presence. I’ll be heading to your ship but keep your mouth shut... or else.”

“At your command, my Empress!”

Vaylin shut the holocom off and started heading towards the ship, guided by the two Guards. She took one last glance to see that Rio have vanished. She tried to not think much of him anymore as they arrived at their destination. All of the Horizon Guards have been informed of maintaining her secrecy. The first thing she did was to take a warm shower which felt heavenly...

He returned to his camp, the surrounding somehow got quieter now that Vaylin’s gone. On his way back, he stumbled upon some cloudberry trees and plucked both the berries and flowers. At least the berries would sustain him until nighttime, and the flowers…

A beautiful flower crown was made. Purple, blue and white flowers adorned the branches with the smaller, unripe cloudberries. Why make this now though? Vaylin’s no longer here. Deep inside, he’s starting to miss looking into her eyes. He fought that feeling feebly, staring emptily at the flower crown. He didn’t even think about escaping the planet as he was ready to die alone.

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of his reverie. He quickly stashed the crown and jumped atop of a tree to hide, if in case it turned out to be a hostile wildlife or _Horizon Guards._

It was Vaylin. Alone.

His heartbeat raced. Why hasn't she taken off? “Rio? Are you here?”

He dropped down from the tree, almost startling her. Her changed clothing and fragrance added to his relief.

“Vaylin? Why are you still here?”

“I… forgot to do something.” She gazed downwards, her fingers fiddling and heartbeat pacing. This time however, the thing she was about to do felt easier than the last. Wincing, she reluctantly apologized.

“Sorry for what happened last night...”

His eyes went wide at her words, and his heart was showered with imaginary confetti. With a big smile, he happily accepted her apology. “I’d always forgive you, Vaylin. Remember that.”

She could feel herself falling deeper; there’s no rescuing herself or denying that feeling now.

“Tell me, Rio. Am I just another one of your patients? Am I just another person you need to heal?”

Those questions caught him off-guard, like a perfect trap. He needed to be extra careful in answering it. With a gulp and a nervous smile, he proceeded.

“I… think of you as an individual, Vaylin. If you allow, as a friend. Not an enemy, not my patient. I won't do anything you don't want me doing. I… I... enjoy your company. And I’m not telling you what you want to hear, just the truth.”

They both blushed at his words, for her particularly the ‘company’ part. But another side of her thought he wasn’t making sense.

“My company? Even after all the hurt you endured from me? Are you a masochist?”

“What? No! Um… to be honest, many have hurt and mistreated me. I know that, and I don’t enjoy it. But I still believe that we can coexist peacefully.”

This Jedi was making less and less sense, she mumbled.

“Vaylin… I also want to apologize to you for my actions. I realized that it angers you when I... _speak_. I’m sorry. It’s not my place. I’ve been brazen enough to seem like I’m telling you what to do. Y-you don’t have to forgive me...”

No more Jedi speeches then? It’s a good deal for her. She folded her arms, trying to think of a response.

“Maybe. You have to earn my forgiveness.”

He perked up at the idea. He hoped that it won’t involve anything too forward or weird, but he’s prepared should he find himself in a… tight spot. “Alright. I’ll try.”

“First step… you come with me.”

She took his hand and led him towards the ship. If the first step was him getting off this planet, he started developing a good feeling about the next ones.

Hopefully.


	5. Ship Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horizon Guards shared what they thought of Vaylin and Riornivo, and what happened behind the scenes.

                                                                      

( Artwork by me )

* * *

 

Her grip was firm and none of them spoke much during their trip. When they finally arrived at the ship, the Guards immediately dropped into their battle stances. “Outlander! He’s got the Empress!”

She held up a hand. “Stop that. He’s my prisoner.”

Few of them were reluctant in dropping their guard around the Jedi, but most were more afraid of Vaylin than Riornivo. The Guard Captain stepped forward, offering Vaylin his service.

“Shall we take him to the cells, my Empress? Or would you like to execute him?”

The eagerness of the Captain grated her nerves. He needed to be put in his place. With her free hand, she choked him from a distance while bringing the  _prisoner_ closer to her side. “We won’t do such a thing. You need to stop talking when I haven’t asked anything of you.”

The Captain was running out of breath. Rio had to take a fast gamble to save the Captain’s life.

“Vaylin, let him go. Please...”

She suddenly released both of her grips on Rio and the Captain, feeling like something snapped her away from that state of anger. She knew it wasn’t a Mind Trick or any Force powers of his, just him telling her to stop. Her breathing went erratic and heat started flowing around her face. When she finally came to her senses, she saw several Guards tending to the Captain.

“Just… take the Outlander to your quarters. And do not disturb me!”

She stomped away towards her room. She tried to feel angry again, but instead left with uncertainty as to why she needed anger and who to direct it to. Flopping on her bed proved efficient enough to calm the racing heartbeat. 

The memories of them stranded together surfaced on her mind. Maybe she should let her feelings be known to him. She crafted his response on her own; probably a soft rejection layered with an apology. That made her mood go sour. But there’s always, always a possibility of him reciprocating it. His blue eyes getting closer and closer to hers, feeling his breath on her face, her lips hungrily seeking his. She would show him just how much passion she had been keeping inside. Spending the night with them melting into each other.

And then she woke up.

Alas, it was all a dream. It took a minute for her to calm herself, wiping the sweat off and gulping a glass of water. This wasn’t like her at all. Her default response to whatever it was, anger. How could this happen? Pining for a man who’s not only annoying, but stupid as well. She came to a silver lining though--ever since she was stranded with him, her nightmares have stopped. 

Turning on the holocom, she gave instructions to the GEMINI pilot about their next destination.

\------------

The Horizon Guards were split in their review of the Outlander being this close to them. Some could sense his innate power, feeling just as intimidated as they were with Valkorion. Some sensed no threat from him. Looking back, the one who did the most fighting was the Outlander’s twin. 

An awkward silence filled the room Rio was living in. Sharing with him were five other Guards, but only one took the initiative to speak. 

“Outlander. May I suggest that you make yourself home and clean up? There’s some spare outfits over there.”

At the tone of Svix, the petite Guard, he eased up while stating his gratitude. “Thank you. A shower would be nice right now.”

Before long, Riornivo was already mingling with the Guards, getting lost in conversation. “Is your Captain going to be fine? Anything I can do to help?”

“He’ll be alright. We have droids and our healers taking care of him. Never understood why Cap is so loyal to Vaylin. Perhaps he’s reminded of his daughter.”

The brunette Guard named Ervell leaned back in response, recalling the gossip he overheard last month. “I heard he was Senya’s accomplice in getting Vaylin out of Nathema. Obviously it failed, and every known Knights complicit in that were executed. Don’t know how he escaped punishment or discovery, though.”

“Are you sure we should be sharing this info with uh...”

Before Rio could speak, Ervell deflected his friend; “Nehh. We don’t know if it’s true anyways. Besides, if we’re caught discussing this, Vaylin would have us killed.” 

“She will indeed.”

The Captain appeared at the door, startling his subordinates in the room. “C-Cap?! H-how long have you been standing there?!”

“Long enough to-- _cough_!”

His squad stood up to help, but he refused. Taking a seat on one of the lower bunk beds, he stared at the Jedi with his piercing silver eyes. “I suppose I have you to thank for my life.”

“It wasn’t me. I’m... glad you’re alright.” 

It was perplexing to the Guards as to how kind and relaxed the Jedi was around the man offering his execution just hours ago. Captain Serrus held his head high, evaluating the conversation he overheard from his subordinates.

“Senya told me. How do you stop a child more powerful than you, who have not learned to properly express her emotions and control her powers? I advised her against leaving Vaylin at the hands of others, even offered to help raise her. Wasn’t possible of course, we Knights have to be constantly cycled through to avoid those very attachments. She was running out of options.”

Captain Serrus relaxed his posture before continuing; “Valkorion’s idea was  _bright_. Leave an unstable child in that… hell. When it was revealed that he actually wanted to put a lock on her mind, I knew he wasn’t a Father to any of them. We all are ultimately powerless to even object to that…”

“Until you came, Outlander. I know it appeared that all of us opposed you, but few of us knew the truth. I was… fortunate to be assigned as a Horizon Guard, but the slaughtered comrades at Ord Mantell haunted me with guilt. They tried to help Senya, tried to break away from our blind loyalty. I was conflicted. Being a Horizon Guard gave me the chance to help Vaylin from behind, but she was rooted too deep in her hatred for a Mother who gave up on her.”

“But Senya told me she never did.” Riornivo retorted.

“When she discovered that Senya’s teamed up with you, it was the betrayal she was expecting--thanks to Vaylin’s perception of her. I don’t know what you did, but Vaylin’s changing, Outlander. The fact that you haven’t  _died_ and how she treats you shows me hope...”

One of the younger Guard named Mora giggled. She was instantly stiff when the Captain glared at her. “Ummm… I saw the way she’s holding your hand, Outlander. Are you two...”

Rio was unsure on how to reply as heat rushes through his veins. However, he was  _saved_ by an announcement from the GEMINI pilot.

“Prepare for takeoff.”

The occupants sat down, while some preferring to just hold on to something. There was a visible frown on Rio’s face, as if he was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. Svix elbowed Mora, which she elbowed in retaliation, and vice versa. They only stopped when the Captain cleared his throat. 

The ship’s engine rumbled as it zoomed out of the unknown planet. A few minutes after the ship was airborne, all of the Horizon Guards were called for an assembly. Rio was left alone with a single Guard to watch over him.

A holocom stood out to his sight. The people of the Alliance were probably sending out search parties for their missing Ambassador. The least he could do was to leave a message and proof that he’s alive. But something made him cancel the thought. He needed to remain anonymous for Vaylin’s sake. 

He would make his way back, but not soon. 

The door suddenly opened to show Vaylin, eyes slightly rounder at seeing Rio with a new apparel. As usual, he greeted her with a smile in which she returned with none. “Hello again, Vaylin. How are you feeling?”

The first note of his bass-baritone voice sent shivers through her nerves, while struggling to keep the dream she had earlier at bay.

“You’re sounding like a  _doctor_.”

“I do? Oh, sorry.”

She couldn’t look at him. Her next words were noticeably more difficult to speak. “The Guards suggested a place to stop somewhere for supplies. Do you think...” said Vaylin while pressing the display button; “this planet is safe?”

“It’s mostly a trading post, ships stopping by for fuel are the norm. No ruling body, just sectors managed by a leader each. I’d say it’s safe.”

For a second he wondered why would she ask him about a planet’s information, then he realized that these Zakuulans probably didn’t have much experience in the more remote parts of the galaxy. It was a shame, they had all the means to explore but he knew staying incognito was always better for their safety.

“Hmph. Then we shouldn’t stay for long. GEMINI, prepare for hyperspeed.”

As she was leaving the room, his voice calling out her name stopped her steps. “Wait, I… I have something for you.”

She heard him approaching. When she turned around, she was shown a flower crown. Some of the petals and leaves were falling off. “Sorry, it’s a little damaged because I kept it in my robes. I hope this is--”

She snatched the crown from his hands and quickly exited the room without a single word, not even a thanks. What he didn’t see was how red her cheeks were as she made her way back to her room. 

Finally, another flower crown!

Smiling triumphantly, she rushed to the mirror to look at the flower crown adorning her head. She felt like floating on air, warm and light and fluttery inside. 

How wonderful it is to be in love...


	6. Meditation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riornivo failed twice in less than an hour, how smart.

                                                       

**( Art by me )**

* * *

 

The planet of their destination was only an hour away by hyperspeed. Vaylin however, was deep in her daydream of a life somewhere far away with that annoying Jedi. But she was also mixed with disbelief and disgust at herself for being this sappy over a man. Her smile slowly ceased, trying to make sense of her current infatuation.

Was it his looks? His demeanor was out of the question--she hated it. He was the typical, seemingly pure Jedi healer that’s supposedly incorruptible. Even her Father couldn’t conquer his mind. It can’t be that great though. He must have a weakness somehow. Skeletons in his closet. There was something else other than that, too, that was hidden in him. She could sense it.

The mystery surrounding him only intrigued her further.

Hyperspeed finished its course and they were greeted by a gray, industrial planet. Both Vaylin and Riornivo wanted to be in a civilization, but secrecy got in their way. The Jedi however, had an idea. Since he was already wearing the Guard’s uniform, he just had to put on the armor pieces and helm. Nobody would be none the wiser. As he was almost finished with his disguise, Captain Serrus barged in and caught him putting on the helm. 

“If I were a second late you would have succeeded in disguising and escaping the ship.”

While Rio did not actually want to escape, his way of going about it surely implied so. Time to put his diplomacy skills to use, he thought. 

“I wouldn’t presume to even try that. Couldn’t even last five seconds with the Guards and Vaylin. If I may… I needed something outside.”

“Five seconds is rather impressive. Listen, son. I  _know_ what you’re capable of. Although I would love to test your power against mine, you seem to be forgetting your role as a prisoner. Act like one. For your sake and ours.”

The Captain locked him inside the room as he sat down, deflated. Why are people so eager to fight him? He spent years practicing diplomacy and empathy through the Force, despite knowing that it wouldn’t always lead to a peaceful resolution. Although he has spent too many times being imprisoned, it’s always a better alternative than engaging in violence. He’d surrender even before the fighting begins. He took a deep breath and started meditating to pass the time.

Vaylin took her quiet steps to the dormitory section containing the Outlander. The previous question about this planet was just an excuse to talk to him, now she needed to think of something that wouldn’t be as obvious… Annoying Jedi platitudes be damned. 

“Why can’t I go with them? I don’t want to guard the Jedi! Ugh, I’m so gonna prank Cap’s--Empress Vaylin!” Whining Ervell immediately straightened up his posture upon sighting Vaylin. 

“What are you muttering about?!”

Ervell’s mind was scattered. Should he just answer it honestly or say how unimportant what he felt was? “Um, I, I, wanted to go outside with t-the others,” as he gulped down hard, only half ready to die at the snap of her hand. “But um, someone has to keep an eye on our prisoner.”

“Then  _leave_ the ship.”

Ervell almost couldn’t believe it. Not only did he survive, but he was also granted what he wanted directly from the Empress. He scampered away as Vaylin entered the room. 

In front of the bunk bed was a sleeping Jedi. His head was covered by his arm, supported by his knee. His sitting position was akin to a sad, crying person. But something was off. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that he was slightly  _floating_. Her closeness woke him up from his meditation, and as usual, greeted her with a smile.

“What are you doing?”

“Meditating. You’re actually the first person to ever catch me in that... um, weird position...”

“You sure you weren’t just, I don’t know, sleeping?” asked Vaylin in a teasing tone, in which Riornivo chuckled in response.

“Why not both?” 

She raised her eyebrow, making the Jedi’s smile turned sheepish. “Do you want to meditate?” he offered, while sitting back down.

“No. It’s a waste of time when I could be doing other, more productive things.”

“It’s a self-improvement, makes yourself feel so much better afterwards. Definitely a worthy investment of time.”

Without answering, she sat next to him against her better judgement. Lately she had been agreeing with his propositions a little too many times, and she’s powerless against herself to combat it. Still, the closeness she felt when sitting next to him was worth it. “So… what do I do next?” asked her with genuine curiosity.

“Relax your posture--shoulders a little back. Take a deep breath… then close your eyes.”

Understandably, she didn’t feel the benefits of meditation straight away as it was something she had never done before. After a few minutes of silence, she took a peek at the Jedi. Her index finger mischievously moved towards his cleft chin, almost poking him when he abruptly jolted up, then panting. 

“Bad dreams? I thought you said meditation is supposed to make you feel better?”

“Brother...”

Even though he said it under his breath, she could hear it. The first person that came into her mind was Arcann, albeit the  _brother_ in question was the Jedi’s twin. Once he swiped away the brief telepathic connection formed with his twin brother, his attention was focused on the frowning Empress.

“Vaylin…”

“Thinking of returning to the Alliance?” 

“N-no, that would--”

She grabbed him aggressively by the armor’s collar; their faces only inches apart. “How come you can move freely while I can’t? Is this what becomes of my life? Back to isolation again?” 

The situation went as further south as possible for him. He let out a heavy breath he had been holding to calm his senses, and as Vaylin felt him panting on her face, she spontaneously backed away. 

It was just like her dream.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with you, as long as you need me.”

His declaration wasn’t helping. It’s as if he was confessing his love, greatly weakening her. She got up shakily and bolted out of the room. 

“Vaylin!”

It took quite an effort for him to calm himself--so much for the meditation. This state of mind for both of them was the  _opposite_ of what he was trying to achieve; but he knew there’d be instances where this could happen. Why was he so easily emotional around her? He’s treated others like her before, but it never got this…  _meaningful_. 

His Jedi platitudes are about to be damned.


	7. Booted Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our -bright- Jedi Outlander gets thrown out of the ship oh noes.

                                                          

**( Artwork by me )**

* * *

 

Vaylin stormed back inside her room, flustered and dismayed. However, bashfulness was the stronger emotion, almost completely burying the heightened concern she so wrathfully expressed just then. 

His blue eyes so close to hers, like looking inside his window of secrets. She kept sweeping away the image of him despite wanting more. Then his words came flooding back at her. She wanted to believe, but considering him saying it right after connecting with his twin, it might just be him reassuring her or saying things she wanted to hear. 

Ultimately, he would choose his brother over her.

The Outlander scanned around and saw an opportunity to exit the room. He needed to correct the situation--but his sneaking was poorly executed, almost alerting some of the remaining Guards. After minutes of what seemed like hours fumbling around the ship, he finally arrived at the corridor adjacent to Vaylin’s room. 

“I see you.” the holoreceiver startled him. “There are cameras everywhere and I can’t believe how stupid you are, Jedi. The ship’s exit is  _over there._ ”

She said that again, and still it cuts him. This time however, he retorted with a firm, passive aggressive tone. “Yes I am dumb. May I knock on your door?”

“Impudent aren’t we? What are you going to do to me in my room, exactly?”

The realization hit him like a brick. He took a few steps back, mouth still agape. His intent on just talking it out vanished instantly, when he was doing just that. “N-nevermind.”

“Actually, no.” she opened the door, her boots stomping her way towards him. “Leave my ship immediately.” commanded her with folded arms.

“But why?”

“The Alliance. I don’t need you anymore, they do. Get out.”

“No.”

She grabbed his arm, easily dragging a man almost at Wookie-height. Both of them recalled that time she led him towards the ship, and in the same fashion, she was dragging him  _out_. 

“Please, listen to me! I just need a minute!”

She stopped abruptly, as if she was trying to move a starship using her physical might alone which is impossible. The only explanation was him using the Force to make himself immovable. “This is how you want to play it? Gladly.” With her strength in the Force, she tugged him again, but still it wasn’t enough. “Vaylin… I want to stay here. Please let me.” 

Ignoring the blushing, she took his proposition as a challenge--further amplifying the Force until the hallway rumbles around them. She got increasingly thrilled by how much Force power she was exerting against him, just like how she overcame her Father’s time manipulation. But Rio quickly realized that this must not go on lest the ship start to crumble. Reluctantly, he released his Force technique, causing him to fall directly on top of the Empress. 

Their eyes were as wide as the desert of Tattooine. Both of them promptly got up. “My apologies--I didn’t mean for that to happen!”

“To earn my apology you’d have to leave this ship because I wouldn’t want to be around someone who won’t respect my decision! Or I will never forgive you. Or I might kill you.”

“But-”

“Not. Another. Word.”

Just as they were about to move again, the remaining Guards entered the scene, followed shortly by the returning ones. “Empress! We heard and felt a tremor-”

“Finally! What took you so long? Get this Jedi out of here now.”

“Right away!”

Rio could only watch her solemnly while being escorted out. This is just another step back from his purpose; he’s already formulating new plans in his head. A confused Vaylin retreated to her room. As soon as the Empress was out of earshot, one of the Guards spoke quietly; “Is it wise to leave the Outlander out there?”

There were some snickering from her fellow Guards but Captain Serrus answered her with a tone of amusement; “I’m sure the Outlander will do just fine  _out_ there. He needs to get  _out_ more.”

Rio himself couldn’t help but smile while shaking his head. “What a dad joke.” groaned Ervell. However, the moment of levity was cut short by them arriving at the ship’s exit. “Before you go… take this, it might be useful someday.”

“H-hey!!” as Ervell protested his helm being taken by the Captain and handed to Rio. The Guards left the Outlander with such a worried look on his scarred face. They all knew what the man was bothered by. Their safety around Vaylin. “Thank you. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.”

“Oh, and speak one word of Vaylin’s status to anyone, I’ll know.” replied Serrus, menacingly.

The Outlander could only hope that things wouldn’t escalate or incite the Empress’ wrath enough that someone loses their life. His steps away from the ship were heavy, but he chose to place what little faith he had in Vaylin and trusted the Captain’s words of her  _changing_. 

What the Jedi failed to notice was Vaylin watching him through a one-way window. She huffed. Interacting with him would always result in her being figuratively thrown a bag of exploding mixed emotions. But there was a silver lining, if finding out why she was instantly attracted to him qualified as that. The moment Arcann presented him and Darth Marr to Valkorion in the throne room. 

It was his power.


	8. Holocall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to our Jedi Outlander in the industrial planet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated much. Depression and RL hits hard, but I'm still updating this story... sometimes it's just slow.

                                                      

                                                                                                      **( Art by me )**

* * *

 

The ship zoomed out of his sight before moving away. Left in a world he barely knew, he released a deep breath and made his way out of the port while putting on the helm he was given. His mind was arranging a number of things he needed doing to get by, or to get away to somewhere more familiar. There were a few eyes following him, making him feel increasingly uncomfortable. 

The broadcast on a holonews screen caught his attention. It was the coronation of his twin as the new Emperor of Zakuul. Instantly a rush of bad feelings filled his mind. From the looks of it, Rionnic wasn’t thrilled with the event as well. His twin’s expression was always mute–almost robotic, but even through all of that he could sense Rionnic’s actual mood. Arcann performed the oath recital and the official proceedings with a proud look on his face.

What if Vaylin saw this?

Shortly after the coronation broadcast ended,  _his_ face was displayed on the news, reported missing. A hefty reward was offered for bringing him in alive. At that moment, Rio was ever so grateful to Captain Serrus for the helmet. The disguised Jedi stepped away from the street to look for a holocall station, preferably a discreet one. He used a Force Cloak to shrug off the eyes tailing him once he slipped behind a corner. 

One minute… five, six, seven–finally his call was received by Vette. “Alliance Base to caller–woah, a Horizon Guard?”

“Hello Vette. It’s me,” as Rio took his helmet off to reveal his identity. “You! Alive!” but he quickly cut her off by holding a finger to his mouth, requesting her to keep her voice down.

“Where are you now? Your sister’s been so sad without you.”

“I’m sorry. I just saw the coronation. May I speak to your brother?”

“ _My_ brother? Heh, that sounded weird coming from you and Ria.”

With a smirk, he affirmed; “Yeah. But you’ve known him longer than I do, though.”

“Alright, hey Red! RED!! Important call.”

As soon as Vette disappeared from the screen, the new Emperor of Zakuul wearing his face appeared with a slightly raised eyebrow. 

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Congratulations on your coronation, Your Majesty.”

“Get back here. Ria won’t stop irritating me about you.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t just yet. Could you take down the bounty on me?”

Rionnic folded his arms. “Let’s see. Running away with a girl you just met, eloping? Abandoning your family to chase a momentary passion. And people thought  _I_  was the wild one.” jabbed the Sith mercilessly. It’s no use trying to hide his intentions from his own twin.

“She needed help. You gave her brother a chance, now I’m giving her too.” pleaded the Jedi.

“You think I didn’t feel the abuse you endured from her? It’s a pain that I never signed up for! She’s not receptive as you thought she’d be. How long are you planning on entertaining your masochism and your  _games?_ ”

“You  _know_ how that feels. You can’t instantly transform those formative years drenched in trauma. It takes time. Just… trust me. Please don’t tell anyone about her, not even her Mother.”

The younger twin’s passive aggressive remark exasperated Rionnic, albeit that wasn’t what the Jedi meant. “Aren’t you just forcing your agenda on her?”

“I’m done talking with you.”

“DON’T YOU–”

He swiftly cut off his brother’s infuriated notes. He knew his older twin was just worried about him, and Rionnic would rather jump off an airlock before admitting that to anyone. It’s one of the characteristics he loved about that Sith; that he was a family man. But his words still hurt him because there were some truth to it. He was determined to prove him wrong though–the result of a shared trait between the twin that is stubbornness. 

Most importantly, he wanted to set her free from the scars of her unjust fate.

But that seemed inconceivable for the time being. Maybe some time apart could be beneficial for both of them. He wouldn’t want to provoke her anger further by his presence, seeing how determined she was at kicking him out. But if she does anything that puts her at risk, he promised her that he would be by her side with unquestionable loyalty. Does that include turning on the Alliance? Betraying his very own family? He sighed–enough with the heartache for today.

Vaylin finally felt a little relieved at the absence of that  _stupid_ Jedi. The kind of freedom from being nervous around someone. He was still everywhere in her mind though, as she leaned on the lounger in her room, staring blankly at space. She felt her heart swelling each time she recalled his breath on her, huffing at how she wasn’t supposed to want more of that. More of tasting his lips. He has an aura around him that seemed to soothe the primal, violent instinct of sentient beings. It was an overstatement that she realized was unfortunately true.

There wasn’t a great selection of outfits matching his build, but he managed to make one work. He hid his lightsaber inside the jacket, then put on scarves folded to conceal his face. It turned out that Captain Serrus also gave him some funding along with the helm. He stashed the Horizon Guard armor in his newly bought backpack, in case he needed it later. His next step was to get on a shuttle off this planet, as he felt the unwanted attention could lead to violence. The new apparel should help him blend in a little.

On his walk back to the shipyards, he sensed a growing uneasiness amongst the workers. However, before he could assess the cause, a loud bang caught his attention a second too late. As he turned around a huge metal roofing collapsed, hitting the three workers on the ground. His heart sank.

After sprinting closer, he was surprised by the metal hovering just inches away from the workers, leaving them unharmed. And it wasn’t  _him_.

The metal continued to float away from the workers by the Force, landing safely on the empty space nearby. Rio quickly checked on the workers barely evading death for injuries. The only thing wrong with them was the fear in their eyes, with a hint of relief. They profusely thanked him, in which he responded with shaking his head, stuttering; “It wasn’t me!”

If not him, then who was the other Force user?

His eyes scanned around, his senses picking up a familiar energy. And then he saw her.

“Vaylin?”

She turned away to leave as he approached her. “Wait!” he then increased his pace, catching her arm to stop her. Just how she _likes_ it. Her expression instantly changed from sheepishly smiling to snide as she turned to face him. In a whispering but annoyed voice, she improvised her fake mood; “Why did you call out my name?! Everyone heard that!”

“S-sorry! Um. We should speak somewhere else–”

“Why should I talk to you?”

“To hide from all the people who heard your name, maybe?” teased him. Her scowling tightened under her disguise.

“Fine.”

He lead her out by the hand, not certain of what would be a good yet secluded place to talk. That alley seemed obscure enough, and again he used the same trick of vanishing behind a corner using Force Cloak. He whipped his head around to make sure they are completely alone, then tugged his scarf to speak.

“Thank you for saving those people back there. They were unscathed and grateful.”

“What if I told you I was the one dropping that metal towards them with the intent of causing harm? You don’t know that.”

His warm smile faded into a look of disbelief, and it wasn’t even caused by her words. He then inched closer, with a dark glint in his blue eyes piercing her golden ones. “I don’t believe that.”

She started to get heated in both ways; anger and fluster. “How ignorant can you be?”

“How bad of a liar can you be?”

Once again, she grabbed his outfit and forced him back to the wall, frustrated at how he retorted her words rhythmically, as if belittling her. “Now it’s your turn for some harm. How does that sound?”

“An alley in which nobody will either know or mourn me. If it satisfies your anger,  _do it_.”

Except that she didn’t. She released him by shoving, feeling challenged. “No, I won’t do what you want.”

Finally stabilizing his breathing, he got up shakily. “Why are you here, Vaylin?”

“That’s none of your business. I go wherever I like.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. His less than stellar attempt at levity and getting her admittance only resulted in her wrath. He turned away nervously to leave, covering his face again. “I… I guess I’ll be going then. Take care of yourself.”

His silhouette was getting farther away from her vision, eventually covered by fog. Her heart swelled again–she felt that their meeting was too short and it could have gone better. She wanted his presence–it’s the reason why she left the ship at the first place. “Stop!”

He pretended not to hear her. She gave chase, disheartened by his lack of response. Once she was close enough, he was caught off guard with how she turned him around using the Force. “I said stop!”

“You did? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Where are you going?”

He made a gesture of scratching his neck, thinking up an answer. “Hmm… don’t know yet, but I’m definitely leaving this planet.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“That’s a work in progress. Why do you ask?”

“I have a shuttle. Let’s go.”

And thus they set off again to nobody knows where. The attitude of this Zakuulan Empress was starting to confound the Jedi Outlander, but his resolve wasn’t wavering. However, both of them have something similar in mind. 

They want to make this work and keep trying for that common ground, as their hearts declared that they were worth the effort.


	9. Arriving Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaylin and Riornivo share a heartfelt moment together while on their short journey to Zakuul.

                                                      

**( Artwork by me )**

* * *

As soon as they stepped in her shuttle, Vaylin pushed his arm forward, commanding him to pilot instead. She then took a seat on the wingman’s chair.

“I don’t feel like driving.”

Without a single word he complied, and after the ship’s systems were online he asked; “Where to?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

Yet another moment of silence. 

“Just get us away from here!”

He responded with a little snark, but only in his mind. At that time, he’s had enough of bickering and her getting potentially violent again. Doing whatever she wanted without asking any question seemed like the safest course of action. He took a short route of hyperspace which ended in half a minute, resulting in the shuttle floating aimlessly in space. It was getting uncomfortably silent for her. What could get him talking?

“I saw the coronation.”

That seemed to work. His face looked like it just saw a space abomination. “You… saw it? Um…”

“Your brother doesn’t want the throne. Why don’t you claim it?”

“I… neither of us wanted it.” She noticed how shaky his voice was. No, she doesn’t want a fearful Riornivo. She wanted the calm, smiling Jedi back. For her, it was common knowledge that her attitude towards him was what caused the silence. Her head shuffled more ice breakers to say to him. She couldn’t care less about that uncomfortable chair in the Spire anymore.

“There’s something I have to tell you, actually. That’s why I left the ship.”

“And that is?”

She shifted in her seat, having second thoughts about revealing this crucial information.

“Mother knows I live.” 

Again, his jaw dropped. “Just as how easy you connected with your twin. It didn’t take long for her to sense me. She’s looking for me now… with Arcann, I think.”

His brow furrowed in concern. The calmness in her tone bode well on how she’s handling it, but he’d still take precautions on choosing his next words. “What do you think of that? Are you alright?”

“What I’d like to do is seek her out and get this over with.”

She quickly set the course to Zakuul, which caught him off-guard. That wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but it was expected of her. “Vaylin… will that solve everything? It’s–”

“No it won’t. It doesn’t solve anything at all! She abandoned her daughter and I don’t want her as a Mother. I want to sever this connection and that can only be achieved by killing her.”

“There are other ways to sever your Force Bond with someone,” his words were cut off by the shuttle jumping to hyperspeed once more. “I can work it out.”

“That wouldn’t stop her from hounding me. You just don’t understand! She abandoned me and now won’t leave me alone! She thinks she can do whatever she wants and get away with it!” as her voice climbed up the volume.

“Vaylin…”

“She didn’t trust me, Rio! She left me and washed her hands free from her responsibilities as a Mother. She didn’t give me a chance to change from my mistakes. She should have loved me instead of being scared! I was a child, NOT a monster!”

Her anger peaked, and the shuttle began to rumble as if it’s experiencing some turbulence. This could end badly. Rio swiftly stood up from his seat and approached her, kneeling down to slightly below her eye level. “Forget about her for just a moment.”

That wasn’t what she expected to hear. “Are you insane enough to test me right now?”

He maintained his calm demeanor. His hands carefully grasped her arms, while his smile reinforced his action. “No, not testing you. Just… for a few seconds…” his tone sounded hoarse yet needy. Vaylin’s intense scowling softened–she could feel herself being sucked into that portal of his blue eyes. 

“May I… give you a hug?”

She stood up as a response, with that scowl returning to her face. Instantly his calmness shattered into an apologetic shock. He promptly stood up as well. “S-sorry! I didn’t mean to overstep–”

But she embraced him.

“–my boundaries…” her action silenced him. Then that serene smile reformed on his face, while his arms returned the embrace.

Steadily, Vaylin’s uncertainty began fading away into a feeling of escalating comfort. Listening to his heartbeat, his arms enveloping her, his warmth–it was the very first hug she received after all those years. Her brothers were too busy with their conquest and her parents were out of the question. This Jedi was the only one not afraid to show her… love. Was it love? It mattered not, as she savored the moment by tightening her grasp, shivering a little. Upon noticing this, sadness crept around him, moving his hand to stroke her hair.

This side of her, it was probably her core. Vulnerable and open. He knew a moment like this wouldn’t happen in another  _thousand_  years. But alas, the few precious minutes were interrupted by the shuttle jerking a little because it finished its hyperspace trek. She didn’t let go however, only lazily turning her head to look at her home planet. 

The silence continued. Both of them were not ready to let go of the peace and comfort yet. He then noticed something from the corner of his sight. “Is that… a portable tent? Camping equipment?” 

She answered in a monotone ‘yes’. The smile on his face widened to a grin, coming up with another playful question. A successful distraction.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Hmph.” as she released her arms. Truthfully, it was her idea to bring those equipment along, in case they got stranded again. Was she secretly hoping to be stranded with him? She took the pilot’s seat and navigated the shuttle towards the greener part of Zakuul, landing safely in the Endless Swamp. 

Home at last…


	10. Endless Swamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vay & Rio arrived at the swamp, reflecting their emotional state.

                                                           

**( Art by me )**

* * *

The Endless Swamp was quiet. There were only a few skytroopers patrolling around, most of the remaining Knights and droids were probably used for the coronation ceremony. Vaylin picked a specifically remote site to make their landing hopefully unnoticed. After all those years, her memory of this place was one of the few fragile hopes she clung to during her imprisonment in Nathema.

She shook her head to stop reliving those childhood memories and focus on the present time. When she got up and turned around, the  _goofy_ Jedi was already picking up the camping equipment with such glee. She narrowed her eyes.

“Eager much? You love to camp, don’t you?”

“You’re absolutely correct. It’s good to meditate while being surrounded by nature,” grinned the Jedi, his hands now fully carrying bags of supplies. “Let’s get going.”

“Ugh. If only you Jedi do more useful things other than meditation.”

Rio wasn’t going to take that bait. “Don’t worry, I’ll be as useful as possible to you there.”

Struggling to open the shuttle’s door with his hands full, Vaylin easily used the Force to accomplish it. A bad start to his seconds old promise just then. Rolling her eyes, she took the first step, her arm stretching out to signal a more stealthy approach while the other clutching her lightsaber. Sure enough, a probe scanning the area was hovering in a fast pace. 

Towards them.

With only seconds to react, Vaylin swiftly leapt with her golden lightsaber and slashed the probe. As they both know, destroying a probe would summon skytroopers into the vicinity to check. Burning jet sounds could be heard closing in--she knew each platoon of skytroopers consisted of six, but she only saw five of them. Nevertheless, she charged and leapt again, taking out two of them preemptively while the other three took their shots at her in which she deftly evaded. By simply clenching her fist, the other two exploded with sparks of lightning. The last one attempted to hit her jugular with a concealed blade but she was faster in kicking the skytrooper’s arm away and slicing it with a clockwise spin.

A smug smirk was seen on her face as she admired her handiwork. 

“Ahh, it’s been quite some time since a good exercise.” gloated Vaylin while stretching her body. She hoped Rio would find her in action and defending him somewhat attractive when she whipped her head to look at him. Instead, she was met with him slightly pouting then his eyes looking at the ground. Not even a smile? How disappointing! She angrily stomped out without addressing him. 

As soon as Vaylin left, he glanced to the lone skytrooper stepping away from their shuttle. Earlier, the skytrooper aimed its rifle at him but upon scanning his face, recognized him as his twin who was the current Emperor. He then altered its objective to retreat using the Force when Vaylin was busy with her exercise. Gulping quietly, he started walking down from the shuttle and called out to the former Empress. 

“Vaylin, please lock the shuttle.”

“Ugh.” as she retraced her path and did just that. She slowed down her pace when backtracking to her destination with Rio following behind. “Don’t be slowing down or I’ll just leave you.” said her coldly.

“I’ll keep up. How far is it?” 

“Not quite. Maybe five or six minutes depending on… how much have changed. Get going.”

Thus they set off to wherever Vaylin’s mind took them. Indeed, much has changed since her childhood days. More trees and critters populated the swamp, and when she lit the path using her lightsaber, the Wasaka tree with a particular carving was still there. She remembered Thexan telling her how rare that tree was, originating from a planet  _weirdly_ named Kashyyyk. This tree marked them being halfway towards her old camping spot.

He started lagging behind. The equipment’s weight wasn’t the cause of it, but his heavy thoughts were. He never took his eyes off that dark brown mane while internally apologizing to her. It was never his intention to just seemingly swipe away her concerns and heartache inside the shuttle. Undoubtedly, he did it to stop the ship from exploding mid-hyperspace, but they have yet to properly discuss the issue. Perhaps where Senya failed by directly addressing the problem, he’d succeed by taking a different approach: distraction. Immediately his mind created a projection of his twin brother lecturing him on how bad of an idea that was. Wouldn’t that mean more of him disregarding her grudge, and how fragile that endeavor would be? 

No, he was trying to resolve the problem without her getting occasionally enraged or hurt by that. He’s come this far. If he failed or wind up dead, so be it--at least he tried.

Suddenly she stopped, which figuratively wrecked his train of thoughts. He closed in, asking in a hushed volume; “Is this the place?”

“Yes… hold on.”

Using the Force to lift off clutter made of nature revealed their old campsite. Those little tents the three of them made were still there, disfigured by the years gone by. However, her sadness was interrupted by Rio dropping the bags he was carrying, exhaling loudly and wiping his sweat away. 

“Why don’t you just carry the bags with the Force like I did?”

“Well… it’s a  _good exercise_.” shrugged the Jedi.

Folded arms and the usual scowl failed to hide her rosy cheeks. This time, she took his teasing differently. He did notice her after all. But her mind jumped to the conclusion of why was she trying so hard to get his attention--he’s just a lowly, preachy Jedi and she’s a fearsome Empress. Huffing the nerves away, she exerted her authority over him. “Clean the rest of this site. We’re setting up camp.”

He started cleaning manually by picking up a large branch and tentatively sweeping away the clumps of fallen tree leaves. Vaylin facepalmed. Spreading her arms a little, a small gust of wind swept the clutter clean. Rio shrunk in response, flashing another apologetic smile. “Listen. If you want to be useful to me, I demand time and efficiency. You’ve got the tools for that so use it!” 

He nodded meekly, then turned around to unpack the camping gear.

“Alright, Princess.” 

And just like that, being called ‘Princess’ by him felt like taking a blaster shot to her core. She watched him work with knees weak and thumping chest. Had it been last year or someone else, people wouldn’t have made it out alive with irritating her this much then unintentionally stealing her heart right after. Although the latter wouldn’t happen with just about anyone. 

For him, however, he was hoping for some quality time working the camp together--guess that wasn’t happening. He stood up and the portable tents telekinetically assembled themselves, in a matter of seconds. He didn’t even have to wave his hand around. After checking the stability of the two tents, he entered one to check the interior, exiting with satisfaction.

“Quite the nice tent. It looks durable and wide. I’ll go gather up some wood for a fire--” but Vaylin still stood there motionless. “Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing. I-I’ll go gather the woods!”

At that moment, she just wanted to crawl into a hole and punish herself for being so weak. Truly a far cry from the High Justice who would punish her subordinates in a whim. “Vaylin, wait.”

“What is it now?!”

“Umm… take this holocom to keep in contact.”

“I don’t need your help.” she scoffed.

“I might need yours.” 

She raised her eyebrows. After seeing and experiencing his Force proficiency firsthand, she doubted that he needed any help. She took the holocom anyways and set off in a hurry. Her walls were expiring fast and she needed some distance before she did anything stupid.

But it didn’t stop her mind from  _thinking_ stupid thoughts. It would be nice to be sharing a tent together like last time, as she’s beginning to like sleeping on another person’s warmth--it’s better than hugging a pillow. Maybe there’s a way to make the other tent disappear… she shouldn’t have brought two of them!

She groaned at how inappropriate that fantasy was while slashing down a few plants suitable for firewood. 

When she came back, she saw Rio’s silhouette lit inside one of the tents. She made as much noise as possible in dropping the woods to signify her return, and wasted no time in sparking the fire with a jolt of lightning. Then she sat in silence, her mind drifting towards her childhood memories again. Of how much she missed those simpler times and Thexan. They love giving the Knights a hard time finding them. 

Vaylin was so lost in her memories that she didn’t notice Rio was staring. He kept quiet as to not startle her.

When she finally noticed him, his face displayed that  _infamous_ smile, weakening her yet again. It was more effective in raising the temperature than the literal fire in front of her. “Thank you for setting up the fire, Vaylin.” 

She could have sworn she heard him said an additional ‘fire in my heart’ line. It was getting too much for her. But before she could utter a word; “Here, I made another crown.” as he presented a flower crown made from yellow, purple, and blue flowers connected with leafy branches. “I hope you like this one.”

Looking straight into his eyes, she spoke with a confident tone; “Put it on me.” 

He was taken aback by her request but complied. He admired how her beauty was enhanced with the flower crown, then quickly scooted back to his former seat once he felt he was too close. “No. Sit here.”

“What?”

“Did I stutter?”

Now it’s his turn for a racing heartbeat. Reluctantly, he sat next to her, hoping that would be the end of her further requests. He wouldn’t let her force him into doing something unsightly, especially when they are alone like this. His mind filled the silence with endless repetition of the Jedi Code. No emotions, no passion, only serenity and peace. 

But peace was all she felt at that moment. It was like they’ve traded their states of mind; him from being calm to nervous and the opposite for her. She never thought it would feel this good to not care about a thing in the world.

“Thank you. I really like this crown.”


	11. Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The couple sat down and chatted about what happened after the battle of Odessen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think I'm gonna take a break from the fic as I feel the writing's quality's gone down and life's a bit tough lately. Sorry for that.

                                                            

**( Artwork by me )**

Ever since she was out from that state between life and death, Vaylin felt a festering difference within her. Personally she didn't like it, but it made her feel so much better. Like a weight being gradually lifted off, her feet taking its steps as if she was slightly floating. Yet she's still denying of how good it felt.

And his presence around her was starting to feel like a swaying breeze on a fair day.

She broke the silence by bringing out a holoprojector, turning it on to news coverage of Rionnic's recorded coronation on every channel. She groaned, but then saw a glimpse of Arcann in the background navigating the crowd while holding a girl's hand. Disbelief mixed with amusement was clearly seen on her face. "Arcann has a  _girlfriend??_ "

"Is that the girl with the black hair and um, short height?" Riornivo asked.

"Yeah?"

"Ahh! So they did get together after all."

"Are you serious?? Someone  _wanted_  Arcann?" the next second had Vaylin bursting into laughter. Rio was quite surprised by that, but happy for her. Happy for Arcann too. "Is that weird, if I may know?" 

She gulped to stop laughing at the joke that was Arcann being romantically involved with someone. "Weird is an understatement. I can't believe he actually thought about having a girlfriend. I could see Thexan having one but Arcann? He's... not very smart." 

The last part of her statement was amplified by his less than stellar decision to have the Knights duel each other, thus cutting their numbers severely. There were other decisions and younger moments where Arcann brandished his recklessness making her wish she had Thexan as the surviving brother instead. This led her to think of how potentially unsafe for that girl to enter a relationship with Arcann. What's stopping her from suffering Thexan's fate? But away with that, she cared not of whatever happens to a stranger.

"Did Thexan ever have one?"

"Unsure. The years after I was out of Nathema he didn't have one, perhaps before that but I doubt it."

"I wish I could have met Thexan. He seemed quite interesting," stated the Jedi, steering the conversation as the mood eased into a relaxed one. He intentionally left out the part of his knowledge of the late Prince during his conquest. 

"Everyone knew he was better than his twin. Of course Arcann wasn't happy with that. I know I wouldn't be..." 

Seeing Vaylin relating with Arcann's struggles made Rio believe in her growth, although it's too soon to tell. "I think he's doing so much better now. He doesn't worry about that anymore."

"He's worrying about his safety. Dragging that girl into the dangers of his reputation. Not that I care." 

"That's common knowledge... she knew the risks of loving him. Personally, I think he deserves the love he's receiving now and this new chance at life. The dangers, public hatred, and differences will be their own hardships. If they can best that, they'll come out better for it." mused the Jedi Outlander. 

Vaylin scoffed, taking his ramblings a little easier now. "Even if she ends up dead?"

Rio paused, certain in his foresight that her words rang false. He didn't need to reveal that to her, however. ''Or they could grow old together with their children. Or their relationship fails. We don't know their fates... I'll just wish them the best."

Grow old with children. Another complicated mix of reaction hits her--that of both cringe and twisted appeal. She wouldn't know how to raise a child, but one thing she was sure about was how she'd treat them. What parents abandon their child and put them through years of abuse? Definitely not Vaylin. Besides, her spouse would be equally as responsible in raising the child. Would the man sitting next to her make a good Father? Quite likely. 

But he's a Jedi.

More importantly, why was she thinking about families? Was she too far  _gone?_  She used to disregard those childhood memories with her brothers indifferently. Now she looked back at it fondly. She stood up with such a perplexed look on her face. Cringing at herself.

"Vaylin?"

Confused, she tried clearing up her head of those  _outlandish_ thoughts. It must have something to do with this Jedi. “What did you do to me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Did you… Force magic or whatever that is? When-when you saved me--or revived or...” her words are disoriented yet desperate. The sudden change of atmosphere disoriented him as well, not fully understanding what she meant by that. “I’m sorry, but I don’t get a word you are saying. Are you alright?”

“After the battle! We haven’t talked about that. I thought… I was dead. Your brother did it...”

“Oh. You… um, you weren’t dead. I didn’t save you. I just…  _transferred_ you elsewhere.” At this point he had expected the sudden, volatile shifts of her temperament. The key to handling this situation was calmness, and unfortunately some omission of truth--as evidenced by what he just said which was only half true. “But yes. I healed your wounds. Nothing more.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why don’t you read my mind?” challenged him. 

“I can’t--no, that’s not how I do it. I usually just torture the information out of people.”

She held out a hand as usual to start torturing her target until they break, but no Force power was exerted. Perhaps it was only a gesture of intimidation for him? His gaze remained unwavering, mentally and physically ready for what may come next. 

She sat back down. Instead of inflicting pain, her hand reached out to grab his lower jaw and chin, tilting his head up a little. 

“Look at me. Tell me the truth because I deserve it.” pleaded her with a stern voice, playing into his code of pacifism. There were a few seconds of silence, just them staring deeply into each other. He solemnly nodded.

“I’ll tell you scene by scene. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But… please, I beg you to not react until I finished talking.”

She released the grasp on his face with a sigh. The touch of her still lingered, though he shrugged away the feelings to start recapitulating the past.

"We… we had to stop you. I tried to do it my way but my brother… he didn't take any chances. Everyone thought you were dead. Technically, you were. Remember that fight in my head? With your Father?"

Vaylin continued her silence, taking up his word of barring reactions. However, she displayed an acknowledging look on her face.

"I healed you the best I could after the battle. Still, you had no pulse. Arcann pulled me and then Senya took you away. I had to go to the Spire and that… mind battle happened. Saw you again. Your Father defeated. Once we were done with that, they were already arranging your funeral."

Immediately she was taken back to Thexan's funeral. It was surreal to be having her own yet there she was--she would've wanted to see it, but she knew there would be more smiles than mourners attending.

"So I… I..." his gaze fell to the ground, gulping before revealing his next action which he wasn't proud of. "I tricked everyone into seeing you actually being in the casket, while I… took you elsewhere. I continued healing. I could sense you clinging to life, and… um, I guess my healing worked. It took much of my energy and I passed out." 

The words coming out of his mouth seemed far fetched. How could he do all of that when she obviously died? "You're still not telling the truth. Do I need to do this the hard way?"

"I don't know what else to say. Perhaps you should ask other people. What do you want to hear, exactly?" 

She paused. Somehow, not a single thing he said angered her. Yet there's something still missing from his speech; she couldn't point out what precisely. Perhaps it happened when he was out of commission. Suddenly, two glasses of drinks fly lazily towards them. He poured them sneakily while he was talking. "Have some drink, that's what I found from the supplies." as he sipped.

"Is that Tarulan Wine? Give me yours."

With a smile, he handed her his drink. She traded him her tea which he enjoyed as well. She rotated the glass to where his lips used to sip on it, then proceeded to drink it in one go.

"Fine, I believe you for now. It's just that I… feel strange--nevermind that!"

"Strange how?"

"Forget I said anything!" 

"Ah. Right. If you need to talk don't hesitate to reach me. I'm going to sleep, but if you want company I can stay up longer."

And she took that wildly out of context. Her mouth moved 'yes' as in stay the night but fortunately nothing came out of it. Another part of her was slightly curious that he chose to sleep instead of meditating as usual. "No. Just go to sleep."

"Goodnight, Vaylin."

Rio was quite surprised that his explanation went swimmingly. It didn't take him long to drift away to sleep; the reason he did so was Vaylin. Specifically at how she disliked seeing him meditate--he didn't want to upset her. He did have a vague idea on the strange feeling she let slip just then, but wouldn't press the subject. Maybe a fresh new day and sleep would improve the mood.

But something was about to change the situation. When he was fast asleep, both of their holocomms rang. 

Have they been discovered?


End file.
